


I still feel it (but maybe not as much when you're with me)

by Palizinha



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Gen, more or less just a comfort thing for a bad day, post kh3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-09 04:08:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12268587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Palizinha/pseuds/Palizinha
Summary: It doesn't make sense that a bruise from two years ago that didn't leave a scar still bothers her, but at the same time, maybe it does.





	I still feel it (but maybe not as much when you're with me)

Naminé passed her hand through her neck, the motion something she had done so many times she could barely notice.

But she wasn't alone now, was she?

"Is your neck hurting?" Roxas asked from his place next to her in class (and that was still so hard to believe).

Naminé fought the blush brought in by that question. DiZ had once told her Nobodies couldn't feel pain and since the bruise wasn't there anymore, it made no sense for her to still mention it.

Maybe that hadn't been true, and maybe Ansem the Wise had already known that, deep down, despite not wanting to believe so. But it didn't change that his words were still what came to mind, whenever her hand found that place.

"It's nothing, Roxas, don't worry," Naminé smiled at him, and maybe it wasn't _nothing_ , but he truly didn't have to worry about her.

Roxas looked doubtful, but turned back to the board after searching her face for a second.

Naminé had a feeling they weren't done with that subject.

* * *

  
She walked home with the usual crew, Hayner telling them to not forget tomorrow's Struggle preliminaries.

Naminé wasn't part of it, but Hayner was, as were Roxas and Xion. She had seen them practice before, but the next day would be the first time she would actually get to watch a game.

She'd observed Roxas' Struggle matches in data Twilight Town - she had observed _him_ a lot in data Twilight Town - but that wasn't the same thing.

After passing through their friends' houses, Naminé arrived on the place she was staying alongside Roxas, Xion and Lea. Xion had implied Ansem the Wise's apprentices had paid for it, but never explained exactly what happened.

Naminé wasn't sure she really wanted to know. She hadn't seen much of most of the apprentices, but she didn't have the best impression of Vexen back in-

"Are you sure everything is alright with your neck, Naminé? It's the second time today I've seen you touch it."

Roxas' words made Naminé stop and realize that he was right, she had just done it again.

She hadn't even noticed.

"It's not hurting, Roxas, I'm serious," and it didn't hurt. There was nothing there. There had been nothing there for a long time.

Yet, sometimes she still...

"It's not hurting, but there's something wrong anyway, right?" Xion smiled from her place next to Roxas on the couch, but there wasn't any humor in it.

Naminé looked down, unsure this was a conversation she wanted to have.

But they could help, right? Friends helped each other and... they had helped her a lot already. Maybe she could talk about this.

"The day I was born, Marlu- Marluxia. He was the one who found me, in Castle Oblivion. He was checking the place out as a mission for the Organization, and he thought I was invading it. He realized that wasn't the case pretty quickly, but... he hurt my neck, before."

Naminé had her eyes closed as she explained what happened. That had been why she had put her hair over her shoulder when Marluxia returned with - Larxene. She hadn't wanted them to see it had left a mark.

And maybe her hand still searched her neck whenever she thought of her time in that place, but telling the story didn't bother her as much as she thought it would.

"Where was it?" Roxas asked, getting up from his spot to stand behind her on the couch. Naminé put his hand on the right place, and she felt the strange sensation that accompanied Cure magic.

"There's... nothing to cure," she said, a bit confused.

"Maybe not," Roxas agreed. "I just thought it couldn't hurt either."

Naminé looked softly at him after that. That was true enough.

"It's fine if it hurts even when there's nothing there," Xion said, her head resting on her knee as she looked at Naminé. "Marluxia's gone. Lauriam's gone. But what he did to you is still in your mind, and it hurts. That happens."

Naminé knew Xion was talking from experience, but - Saïx wasn't gone, was he? Yen Sid had decided after Lea spared him that it was too hard to know how many of his actions had been solely caused by Xehanort and how much of it was him.

Up to that point, Naminé had never considered how Xion felt knowing Isa was free to do anything he wanted. It made her feel bad. But...

"I'm not the only one who still feels it, am I?" Naminé realized. She knew she hadn't been the only one who suffered due to the Organization and Xehanort, of course she knew, but it always felt like everyone else had such a better grip on themselves that it didn't occur to her she wasn't the only one who wasn't over it.

"I don't think any of us have gotten over what happened then, Naminé. I'm not sure any of us ever will," Roxas admitted.

"But that's kinda why we have each other, and Lea, and Sora, and the others, don't you think?" Xion said. "I think it's not as bad when you know you're not the only one feeling it, is all."

Naminé surprised herself by smiling at them - that was true, wasn't it? What happened wasn't gone, but it didn't bother her as much now as it had when she only had DiZ and an elusive Riku for company, when her only constant was her own guilt.

It wasn't good, and maybe it wouldn't ever be good, but it was _better_.

And that was so much more than she had ever expected.


End file.
